Man stabbed during party — News Roundup

Published 4:00 pm Saturday, June 26, 2004

Fistfights flowed and a stabbing followed at a gathering of young people at a Baker Hill residence early Wednesday morning.

The incident left 18-year-old Nicholas Duran of Bainbridge Island hospitalized with a severe laceration to his abdomen and other wounds, Bainbridge Police Detective Scott Anderson said.

The suspect, William “Liam” Dipert, age 23, of Bainbridge Island, was booked into Kitsap County Jail on suspicion of first degree assault, Anderson said.

Police were summoned to a home in the 6000 block of Lariat Loop at about 1:30 a.m. June 22, where a 20-year-old man had been having a party with about 15 friends while his parents were out of town. Sometime during the evening, at least a dozen more young men showed up uninvited; fights ensued and spilled out into the street and culminated with the stabbing.

The victim received a slash across his abdomen and stab wounds to his back and thigh, according to reports. A friend apparently took him to a nearby fire hall, from which he was airlifted for treatment at Harborview Medical Center. His condition was unknown Friday.

Officers allegedly found the suspect highly intoxicated on the grounds of a nearby residence, where he tried to get in but was turned away by the owner.

“Whether he thought he knew people there or was just trying to bang on a door, we don’t know,” Anderson said. “I’m not sure he knew what he was trying to accomplish.”

– Douglas Crist

Island bear is getting around

Close encounters of the bear kind continue on Bainbridge, especially in the Battle Point area.

Bryan Turner even snapped a picture of the bruin as it rumbled across his backyard about 7 p.m.

“I was walking out to my vegetable garden when I found myself staring at our guest. He looked quite well fed and moved away from me almost immediately,” Turner said. “I made no attempt to pursue.

Another witness, Jay Trinidad, was walking toward the water at Battle Point last Tuesday around 9 p.m. when he noticed “a big dog” 20 feet away.

He quickly realized it was a bear. Seeing his friend Mike Dauber, who has a young child, at the window of a nearby cabin, Trinidad said, “I just stopped and started yelling for Mike to warn him and to scare the bear.”

The bear stood up 5 feet tall, looked at Trinidad, went back down, turned around and went off into the woods.

“The fact that Mike saw it made me feel better,” said Trinidad, who says he’d been hearing “mythical” stories of bears on the island for years.

Dauber’s wife called neighbors to warn of the bear passing through. Referring to how inopportune a barbecue would be that night, Trinidad, the fish manager at Town and Country, said, “I like my Copper River (salmon), and so does the bear.”

Trinidad’s co-worker and neighbor Rick Nakata had seen the same bear an hour earlier that night, he said.

The bruins are believed to be a mother and cub. Unclear is how many sightings have been reported, as the Bainbridge Island Police Department only tracks calls that generate paperwork.

In the past two weeks, Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife has received six to 10 calls of sightings from Bainbridge Island, a spokeswoman said. Most people called to say “wow,” rather than report problems.

For more information on black bears, see http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/game/blkbear/blkbear.htm.

– Tina Lieu

City buys Yama parcel

The site of a historic Japanese village near Blakely Harbor should be preserved, the City Council decided Wednesday.

The council approved purchase of the 7.5-acre Yama property, in the elbow of land at Fort Ward Hill and Country Club roads and immediately south of Blakely Harbor park. The site is on land developed by Kelly Samson, and the deal was brokered by the city Open Space Commission.

“What’s really brought this to our attention, first and foremost, is its historical significance,” said Tim Bailey, open space commissioner.

A century ago, the land was the site of two Japanese villages next to the bustling Port Blakely Mill; they are said to have been among the first such camps in the region. The villages included a hotel, restaurant, tea garden, bathhouse, Buddhist shrine and Christian mission, and supported some 300 immigrants.

When the mill closed, the village buildings were disassembled board by board; there is nothing left on the site besides foundations, and the forest is badly overgrown with English ivy. Still, artifacts have been found, and the property could see an interpretive site in the future.

“This is culturally rich (land), and something I think will be a tremendous asset to us as we mature and evolve,” open space commissioner Dwight Sutton said.

With the purchase, the city has spent about three-fourths of the $8 million in bond funding approved by voters in 2001. About 167 acres of land, including forests, beaches and farms, have been preserved.

– Douglas Crist

Reserve cops are needed

The Bainbridge Island Police Department is looking for more police reserves.

“It’s fortunate that several (current) reserves have flexible schedules,” said Lt. Phil Hawkins, BIPD’s reserves administrator. “I would be incurring more overtime. We can’t count them as staff, but their assistance is invaluable.”

With four reserves currently serving and a new graduate joining this year, the pool is the smallest in recent memory; Hawkins would like to see it grow to a more comfortable 10-20.

“A small agency like ours, we couldn’t do the quality job the community has the right to expect (from us) without reserves,” Hawkins said. “They’re worth their weight in gold.”

Frequently called upon to help with special events like the Fourth of July or the Chilly Hilly, reserve police officers also play a role in day-to-day operations. Reserves may be brought in to transport prisoners from jail to the courthouse or assist on a drug bust or search warrant where more than one officer is needed.

Reserve officers are always paired with a regular patrol officer to prevent them being put in a situation that exceeds their training.

“Three of the four (current reserves) are very experienced, so an officer would feel very comfortable going out (on patrol) with them,” Hawkins said.

Training for the reserves is an intensive, four-month process, demanding 12 hours a week plus homework at a state-certified police reserve academy run by the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office. All applicants undergo a background check.

Classes cover legal and safety issues, patrol procedures, domestic violence, firearms and report writing, as well as a “field training program” fine-tuned to the local police department’s procedures.

After graduation, reserve officers are required to ride two nights a month with a regular officer. BIPD reserves average closer to 20-30 hours a month.

Reserve officers come from all walks of life. “They bring with them that life experience… the variety we get from the reserves helps us out,” Hawkins said. “Often (they have) experience specific to the community.”

Many applicants use the reserves as a stepping stone into law enforcement; Hawkins, Chief Matt Haney and many others at the BIPD started their careers in the police reserves.

Others views it as valuable community service, “a way to give back,” Hawkins said.

“When you look at citizen volunteers, you have to put reserves at the top of the list,” Haney said. “Here is someone volunteering to perform hazardous duty for no compensation than the feeling of accomplishment, of helping citizens of Bainbridge Island.

“As a department, we value our reserves highly. (They are) just an extraordinarily valuable resource.”

Hawkins encourages those interested in the reserve academy program, which is held every two years, to visit him at the police station for more information.

– Tina Lieu